October 31, 2012

Drop the Duct Tape. Step away from the Staplegun. The Big Night is officially upon us! What's that? Well, more Blood never hurts. Now relax! Here's something you can really Sink Your Teeth into ...

... By this time I had finished my supper, and by my host's desire had drawn up a chair by the fire and begun to smoke a cigar which he offered me, at the same time excusing himself that he did not smoke. I had now an opportunity of observing him, and found him of a very marked physiognomy.

His face was a strong, a very strong, aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils, with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temples but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth. These protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale, and at the tops extremely pointed. The chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm though thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor.

Hitherto I had noticed the backs of his hands as they lay on his knees in the firelight, and they had seemed rather white and fine. But seeing them now close to me, I could not but notice that they were rather coarse, broad, with squat fingers. Strange to say, there were hairs in the centre of the palm. The nails were long and fine, and cut to a sharp point. As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me, I could not repress a shudder. It may have been that his breath was rank, but a horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which, do what I would, I could not conceal.

The Count, evidently noticing it, drew back. And with a grim sort of smile, which showed more than he had yet done his protruberant teeth, sat himself down again on his own side of the fireplace. We were both silent for a while, and as I looked towards the window I saw the first dim streak of the coming dawn. There seemed a strange stillness over everything. But as I listened, I heard as if from down below in the valley the howling of many wolves. The Count's eyes gleamed, and he said.

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!" Seeing, I suppose, some expression in my face strange to him, he added, "Ah, sir, you dwellers in the city cannot enter into the feelings of the hunter." Then he rose and said.

"But you must be tired. Your bedroom is all ready, and tomorrow you shall sleep as late as you will. I have to be away till the afternoon, so sleep well and dream well!" With a courteous bow, he opened for me himself the door to the octagonal room, and I entered my bedroom.

I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt. I fear. I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul ...

You can read Dracula in its entirety over at Project Gutenberg ...My, what a Big Bat!

October 18, 2012

Whether you hold your breath or gasp with delight at the Graveyard on Wells Woods Lane, there's no denying that Kevin Kennedy's teeming Necropolis sets a new standard in the Funereal Arts! A wizard with a Dremel, Kevin fashions Hilarious Headstones out of Foamboard Insulation with all the finesse ( and twice the wit ) of a master Memorial Mason: behold the Hieroglyphics on the Mummy's Sarcophagus, the Font on Tripton Fell's Cross, or the Drawing on Dagg Nabbit's Tombstone ... As if a world-class Cemetery weren't enough, there's a Laboratory stocked with everything Frankenskull needs to perfect his REANIMATOR 2000; a medieval Torture Chamber complete with Wheel, Rack, and Chiropractor's Manual; a rusty Guillotine occupied by a real Basket Case; even a Toxic Landfill layered with Die-oxin! The Brewster Yard Haunt is FREE, but Visitors are asked to bring Canned Goods & other Non-Perishables to benefit the Putnam CAP Food Pantry!

October 10, 2012

For the last 12 years, Chicago native and lifelong fan of "Da Boos" Joe Beudel, his son Mike, and a few like-minded friends have spent anywhere from 2-3 months installing the many Floods, Figures, and Fog Machines that make the Double-H such an Epic Win! A founding member of the Chicago Haunt Builders, Joe also runs the Holiday Habits retail site which specializes in Custom Props ... His years of experience show in Set-Ups like: the Size 0 Bride celebrating her Nocturnal Nuptials ( Joe's sister Stefanie donated her Wedding Dress to the display - talk about commitment! ); the Gang from Transylvania sipping Scargaritas while they indulge in a bit of Finger Food; and Robert Englund aka Freddy Fedora punching holes in the drywall, offering to turn the Man Cave back into a Boiler Room! Alas, haunting can be addictive, but as Habits go, it's a pretty good one ... just Beware of The Cat!

About

An aggregate blog of Halloween displays throughout North America ... Want to promote your do-it-yourself display on Haunted Lawns? It's as easy as sending an email with a link to your website or any other pertinent information to hauntedlawns@gmail.com ... best of all it's FREE! The more folks contribute, the better HL gets ... Thanks Again & Happy Halloween!